The Ezhavas, also known as Thiyya or Tiyyar in the Malabar region, and Chegavar/Chovar in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community.

Ezhava dynasties such as the Mannanar existed in Kerala. The British also formed a separate regiment